Odrisamer Despaigne (3-4, 4.72 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (31-31) go up against Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 3.36 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (35-25) in the first of a three-game division series at Petco Park. The game starts at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 12 and will air on SportsNet LA and FSN-SD.
Despaigne has a 5.84 ERA and a 0-2 record in his career against the Dodgers, and is up against a solid Los Angeles offense that’s hitting .259 on the year. In his career against the Padres, Kershaw is 12-6 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 157 strikeouts. Justin Turner (.310, 18 Rs, 5 HRs, 23 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 2 Wednesday with one run.
San Diego is a heavy +178 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at six runs. The Padres perform poorly as an underdog with a 12-20 record and have an overall money line of -163. They have an SU record of 16-14 against teams in their division and a 6-11 record when they were the underdog in those games. Whenever an NL West opponent shows up on the calendar, the Padres pitch better. They allow an average of 4.4 runs per game, but allow just 3.8 against teams from their own division.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Dodgers come into this game with a win percentage of .593 when playing as the favorite (32-22) and an overall money line of +63. Against divisional opponents, they are 24-16 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 24-15 record. The Dodgers rank third in the NL in scoring, averaging 4.5 runs per game. The Dodgers are known for their bats, hitting 194 extra base hits. Los Angeles has an eye for the strike zone, averaging an NL-best 3.6 walks per game. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Los Angeles pitchers. They allowed 4.4 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 3.5. They have a WHIP of 1.19, fourth best in the MLB. The Los Angeles pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.5 strikeouts per game.
The Dodgers have mostly come out on top against the Padres in their previous nine games this season, earning a 6-3 record. This game will feature Kershaw (LHP) on the mound against the Padres, who have an 8-5 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Dodgers will be the right-hander Despaigne. Right-handed starters haven’t been a big issue for them as they sport a 32-19 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
The Dodgers won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Padres are 7-9. The Dodgers are 8-10 in close games this season.
When leading after 7 innings, San Diego is 19-13, while Los Angeles is 13-11.
The Padres managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Dodgers who are coming in with a 6-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 7-25. The Dodgers have a 6-17 record when opponents outhit them.
Los Angeles tops the league in home runs with 79 this season. San Diego ranks near the bottom at 22nd with 49.
The Padres and the Dodgers both average 8.51 hits per game.
Ranking 26th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.677). Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .777.
The Dodgers are 15-17 when they allow at least one home run. The Padres perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 17-23 record.
